in retrospect

well, not really.  Just some random photos from this past week that somehow didn't get posted.

as we had a surfeit of eggs in the house, crepes seemed the logical way to use up a few.  Forgot to take photos of the grilled asparagus, mushrooms, garlic and various cream/cheese sauces.   Homemade ice-cream, homemade fudge sauce and homemade peaches served as the dessert filling.  Tasty.

admiring my nephew-washed and father-waxed shiny car

 fun messages on the sidewalk in Pleasanton

gorgeous site for a dinner with old friends

one of my favorite packing-avoidance techniques is any kind of cooking project and this week's was home-made gluten.  Which was transformed into yummy sweet/sour 'pork' for my last dinner at home.

and what could be more fitting than the first 2012 tomato for my last breakfast before hitting the road?  There is NOTHING better than a fresh tomato eaten immediately after picking.

 

 hot air balloons rising in the San Joaquin Valley

(stay tuned for 200 blurred action shots along I-10!)

turning the page

(wifi is intermittent, so no trip photos to share today, just a pithy little poem for this new chapter)

'life happened because I turned the pages.' 

~Alberto Manguei

happy snacks for happy trails

happy dance at the local market in finding these!

off in a few moments for my new home--where it's a balmy 104 today.  And once again, enjoying the blithe tone of the Google map that says 'merge onto I-10E and drive 1202 miles...'

while plotting my route....

coming/going

I'm shocked to find that my month in Cali is up.  Looking forward to exploring a new city, picking which job will fit me best and unpacking fully for the first time in nine months.  

last gasp of cute

spent the morning at a huntin/fishin/campin' store that is the size of a theme park ride

 

we saw fish and bears and wolves and mountain goats--and disturbing stuffed flying turkeys

 

 not as grand as the Monterey Aquarium, but still a super fun exhibit

'this would be the perfect Christmas gift'

driving the party boat--seats up to 23--grab your sunscreen and let's hit the water

swingin' in sunshine

finally tried the brownie waffle concoction from the Tea & Cookies blog

belated Father's day celebration with the 'phews

 absolute delight in swinging & laughing

 intro to Pop Rocks I

intro to Pop Rocks II

hooked on Pop Rocks; my job as auntie was done for the afternoon

time for sand box action

scooping & dumping with enthusiasm

 

 perfection of an afternoon--not hot, not cold and no gale-force winds

refreshing with the Thomas the Train cup

tripping on the journey

(loot from the morning ramble)

"The obvious occurred to me:  If you don't consider your life a pilgrimage, it gets downgraded to a trip."

~from Phyllis Theroux's The Journal Keeper 

beyond delight

While the vet we met this morning was a kindly man, he ought not to have begun the consult by saying 'it's very rare for cats to grow cysts; if there's a growth on them, it's generally a malignant tumor.'

Fortunately, Bogart had the rare cyst and will be fine.  Well, as fine as a cat with a shaved flank, 10 stitches and a head cone headed into a road trip to Texas can be.

But I am grateful.  Oh, so grateful.  (Do not scroll down if you're squeamish.)

And between my car and my cat, I need to find many more pennies along my path!

if/then

A good traveler has no fixed plans,

 and is not intent on arriving.

~Lao Tzu

If this snippet of poetry is true, then I am a marvelous traveler.   With one litty-bitty phone call this week, an entirely different opportunity just opened up.  Guess it's time to use one of my found pennies to figure out where on the map I will end up.

from the rising of the sun

 morning roses lovin' the heat

cruising into the Napa Valley after a many yeared absence

as I've always said, you can't eat wrong in the Napa Valley and today proved that again; enjoyed lunch at a new cafe in St. Helena.

 love the festive patios that are throughout this entire region

the parking lot at my friend's work

AMAZing new marketplace on the riverfront in Napa.  Wish I hadn't been so full from lunch as there were so many tasty options for noshing.

pink box of happiness

 E!  My birthday twin.   Delightful to catch up with her life/times.

 not a single penny to be found....but an entire $5 next to my free parking space!!!!

Al fresco dining with friends was the benediction for this day o' riches.

midsummer's day wish

 

Many people lose 

the small joys 

in the hope

for the big happiness.

~Pearl S. Buck

joy of reading

Cali is being most generous with the coinage along the streets.

Always doing my bit to indoctrinate every child that comes across my life of the joys of the public library.  Today's journey was a lovely lakeside meander to see what books we could find.  But first, we had to try to steer the ship.

And rest our engines

 And check out the cool wire/bead thingie in the corner

 

 on the way home, had to try out different benches

modeling for Rodin

and one more try in spinning the wheel